Unrequited Love
by Madmoiselle Liz
Summary: Someone has been watching Harry for a while now... and she can't wait any longer for his love.HPOC
1. Emerging

Chapter 1  
  
He looked pretty cute even when he was frowning, she had to admit. Which he was doing quite often, since he sucked at Potions and was paired up with Ron Weasely. Catherine sighed and returned to her cauldron. She was repeatedly getting low grades ever since her infatuation with Harry Potter since her fourth year at Hogwarts. Two years and a half, she thought. It was really his own fault, she decided, for being so damn sexy. "Catherine!" hissed today's partner, Hermione Granger. "You're supposed to put in the leaves after it boils. Dammit Cathy, we're never going to pass our N.E.W.T.s if you keep screwing up." Annoyed, Catherine pointed out, "Look. It is boiling. Besides, you know I fucking hate Potions." She had known Hermione just a few years, but they had been getting closer and closer friends lately. Cathy kind of felt sorry for her; her only friends were a pair of guys anyway. Very cute guys. Hermione winced at the curse. She still hadn't gotten comfortable around Catherine's swearing. "No, it's simmering. It said full boil, you twerp." Oops. "Bugger. Well it can't hurt much, can it?" Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
Still, their potion turned out to be the best in the class, even if it turned a bright pink instead of the dull red it was supposed to turn. Snape didn't appreciate this, but contented himself by insulting Harry and Ron's potion instead. "Really, Potter," he snarled, walking around their cauldron. "Toad warts? I said frog's eyes. But obviously, you couldn't tell the difference. Five points from Gryffindor," he said silkily, "for your incredible stupidity. And another five points from Mr. Weasely, who egged Potter on." "That's it," said Harry while walking out of Potions. "I'm pairing up with Hermione next time." "No, I am," countered Ron. "I'm not going to let you have Hermione all to yourself. I need help too, you know." "Save it Ron." Harry punched him in the arm and hurried to catch up with Hermione. Ron followed suit. Hermione was talking to Catherine when Ron interrupted. "Hermione, be my partner in Potions. I really need your help," he said breathlessly. "And I can't pass my N.E.W.T.s without you," called out Harry from behind. "I'm flattered," said Hermione sarcastically. "But as you could see, before you interrupted me, I already have a partner." Harry and Ron turned to Catherine with blank looks. She blushed. "Who is she?" demanded Ron. Then he turned to Cathy. "Hermione's ours, in case you didn't notice." What Cathy did notice was how Hermione was getting increasingly red in the face. "I'm not yours," she snapped. "And this is Catherine. She's a Gryffindor, just like us, and one of my best friends." Harry started extending his hand towards her." How come I've never seen you before?" Catherine took his hand, blushing slightly. He looked even better up close. "Just call me Cathy." She started to say something else, but Hermione interrupted her. "I can't believe you guys," she said spitefully. "You only use me for your grades. You know, I was starting to think that six years of knowing each other might make a difference. But you're just like you were when I met you. You suck." Hermione turned on her heels, fighting back tears. "C'mon, Cathy," she said, pulling her away from Harry and Ron, leaving them speechless. "I think she's angry," Ron whispered to Harry, when they were out of sight. 


	2. Shadow Girl

Chapter 2  
Hermione was angry. Really angry.  
"I can't believe they did that to me!" she kept saying to Catherine. "Oh shit!" Her bag had just split open.  
Cathy helped her pick up her books. "Look," she said, handing Hermione back her quill. "If it's any help, guys are like that. You know, stupid pratts. Besides, I think Ron likes you."  
They walked up to the dining hall for dinner. "Oh, bollocks," retorted Hermione, seating herself down. "You saw how he treated me. Like I was... a- a book he could just open up when he needed it and then toss away." She picked at her roll, making it crumble onto her plate. "I mean, I'm nice, right? I dress decently, I don't have Eloise Midgen's face- or nose- and... and...-dammit, why do they treat me like that?"  
Catherine served herself a baked potato. "You're not bad," she agreed between forkfuls. "Actually, you're quite nice. They just need your help, that's all, and the clumsy bastards just don't know how to ask."  
Soon they changed the subject, giggling and chatting together like most girls usually would. Soon Hermione's mood lightened up, enough (in Cathy's opinion) to forgive to two boys.  
Back in the Gryffindor tower, Harry, Ron and Hermione were on good terms again, but Cathy's shyness kept her away from them. She was a loner, anyway, she thought to herself, while she watched the group laugh and chatter over their homework.  
Catherine was still blushing over her meeting with Harry. While she was in the middle of her essay, Cathy let her mind wander. She imagined herself in Harry's arms, his waist surrounded by his strong hands and their faces inches away from each other's. Soon they would be embracing on the sofa, passionately kissing each other, figures locked together...  
Catherine started at the vivid image that had formed in her mind.  
A fresh burst of laughter could be heard from behind her; Harry and Ron were laughing hard, while Hermione was looking slightly annoyed, a smile playing on her lips.  
Taking out a fresh piece of parchment, she decided to draw him as he looked now, smiling and laughing with his friends. Inconspicuous, in a darkened corner of the Common room, she furrowed her brow and started sketching. Behind her the picture of a woman dressed in Medieval clothing observed her curiously, watching her draw.  
Soon Catherine was done. Satisfied with the result, she wrote the date on it. My love, Harry, she added at the bottom. A drawing of my year- long infatuation in hopes that we will someday be together.  
She finished her homework in silence, and, putting her things away, hurried up to the girls dormitory. A few minutes later she came back down, some parchment and a quill in hand,and called to Hermione that she would be outside.  
"What?" Hermione called back distractedly. "In this cold? You'll freeze!" She bent down to pick up the book she had dropped.  
"I don't mind the cold," Catherine called back. "I just want to watch the sun come down." And write a poem or two. She wished Harry would notice her. "'Bye!" She went out the portrait quickly and disappeared from view.  
"If she's one of your best friends, then how come you don't spend time with her?" asked Ron, crumpling up his second piece of parchment. Hermione looked up from the book she was reading.  
"Because I'm always off helping you two dimwits stay out of trouble." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "You know, I should spend time with her. She's a really nice, sensible person. You would like her," she said to the two boys.  
"She's hot," piped up Harry. Ron and Hermione stared at him. "What? It doesn't mean I like her," he said defensively. Then, turning back to his work, he added, "I don't even know her, anyway."  
"I think he has a crush on her," Ron said loudly to Hermione. Hermione giggled; Harry just looked annoyed.  
"Well," he said, picking up his things and standing up. "If you two won't be mature about my comment, I'll just leave." Ron and Hermione giggled again, to his extreme annoyance.  
He stalked off to his dorm. Upon reaching the stairway to it, he heard someone call him. Looking around, he realized it was one ofr the portraits.  
"Shhhh," she whispered, beckoning to him. "Come here." Intrigued, Harry went to the medieval witch who was talking to him. She was plain but had a look of mystery about her.  
"I am led to believe," she said in an excited whisper. "That a certain maiden is in love with you."  
Harry laughed. "No," he said, shaking his head. "Now that is something I really, really doubt."  
The lady crossed her arms, looking extremely miffed at being laughed at. "Well, if you won't believe me, then maybe you will when you look at that."She nodded towards a piece of parchment lying on the floor in a darkened corner.  
Harry, still grinning, stooped over to retrieve the parchment. His face froze and acquired a look of astonishment.  
On the parchment was a perfect sketch of him smiling. He could define each of his hairs, the twinkle in his eyes. But what astonished him most was what was written at the bottom.  
Along with the day's date, in a pretty, spidery handwriting was written:  
My love, Harry. A drawing of my year-long infatuation in hopes that we will someday be together.  
He ran up the staircase, not noticing the portrait calling, "See? I told you so!" 


	3. In the Spotlight

Chapter 3  
  
Meanwhile, Cathy had stolen away from the castle and did something she used to do when she was smaller: she climbed a tree. She loved willow trees, and the one she climbed kept her hidden away from everyone. Yet she could still see out onto the lake, which was stained crimson already from the early sunset.  
Catherine was a pretty girl, with chestnut hair and clear hazel eyes, but she had never thought much of her appearance. She was average-sized and had small features, and aside from being a bit shy, she was often jealous of anyone who got close to Harry (even though she had no right to).  
Sighing and leaning back against the tree trunk, she recapitulated over the day's events. She'd been waiting to have a good excuse to meet Harry, but the circumstances had been awkward. Even Hermione had acted really strangely- she usually was quite levelheaded even when taunted. She had known her friends long enough to stop acting that way. Obviously that specific issue had been bothering her for a while; she would often complain about Harry and Ron to Cathy, but she'd never outright insulted them. It must have been one of those mood swings she had been having lately. Often she was quite irritated for no reason at all.  
Catherine remembered when she first noticed Harry. It was during the Triwizard Cup; it was unavoidable to hear about him. Obviously she was curious -her friends kept telling her everything they knew- and throughout the Cup she had become rather attached to him, watching him from afar. She had met Hermione that very year.  
Since it contained about one-fourth of the school's alumni, Gryffindor was obviously a very crowded house. Many people didn't get to know their housemates at all; they'd only just seen them around. Cathy used to have her own little group of friends, so she only knew them and a couple dozen acquaintances. This was the way it was for most students- and Catherine didn't mind- yet when she met Hermione and she found out how much she'd been missing, she. shone out more.  
This wasn't easy for her. Coming from a strictly female family (her father died when she was a toddler) only accentuated her already shy personality, but all her years in Hogwarts had done wonders to her, and finally she was comfortable around boys.  
Catherine tossed a stone into the lake and settled into a comfortable position. Not feeling much like writing or drawing, she tucked her quill and parchment away and resigned herself to watch the sunset, letting her thoughts chase themselves away from her mind.  
Most adults Cathy knew believed that teenagers like herself spent most of the time with their friends and couldn't stand to be alone. This, however, was not her case, and Cathy enjoyed being alone and quiet, although she also had fun with her friends. Catherine didn't belong to the crowd; spending time with just a few close friends she could trust in was something she liked more.  
Cathy was a dreamer, which made her a complete opposite to the practical, down-to-earth Hermione. She loved drawing, reading, daydreaming and writing, but she did pretty normal things too, like talking about boys, shopping, spending time with friends, laughing and having a generally good time. So even though she was incredibly different from her friend, both enjoyed each other's company and had been getting closer and closer in the past two or three years. She hadn't told Hermione about her feelings towards Harry yet, partly because he was her friend and she didn't know how she'd react, but also because she hadn't told anyone else.  
Thinking of Harry, Cathy smiled, and the last of the sun disappeared in the horizon. She got down from the tree, landing quietly, and began to walk back to the castle. Hermione would be wondering where she was soon.  
Looking up, she saw the first star appear in the sky. The breeze ruffled her hair slightly, but Cathy breathed it in, just as reached the castle doors.  
*  
Climbing into the Common Room, Cathy found Hermione talking avidly to Ron and Neville near the fire. Noticing her appearance, Hermione grinned.  
"Rosy cheeks, messy, windblown hair. have you been a naughty girl again, Catherine?" she asked amusedly. Catherine sat down (feeling rather childish) and self-consciously pulled the leaves and twigs out of her hair, shaking it back. Ron chuckled.  
"It looks like you climbed a tree," he remarked, leaning over and pulling the last leaf from her long chestnut hair.  
Cathy blushed lightly. "Actually I did," she admitted with a little smile. "But I didn't think it would be so messy."  
They continued talking for a while until Harry came down and joined them. Cathy was a bit self-conscious at first, but was soon at ease talking with him and everyone else. She realized how normal it felt talking to him and thoroughly enjoyed her time with them. Hermione was back to normal again and gushing about the great book she had just discovered, and Ron was teasing her lightly as usual, something she seemed to enjoy even though she tried not to show it. Harry was slightly drawn back, she noticed, and seemed to be a bit of a shy person. Taking advantage of their similarities, she quietly started a conversation that kept the both of them engaged for the rest of the evening.  
Cathy dreamt of him that night. 


	4. Illusions

Chapter 4  
  
Catherine woke up quite happy, and spent most of the day with a little smile on her face. She found out from Ron that Hermione had apologized to them the day before, which explained why things were back to normal so quickly.  
  
Back to normal, to her, meant back to her quiet life away from the crowd; but things became slightly different for her in the following days. Harry and Ron had taken a liking to her ever since their last few conversations, and were paying as much attention to her as to Hermione. Cathy was overjoyed -she was part of the group. It wasn't like she was a member; the changes were gradual, but it was obvious that they were now terming each other 'friends' and not 'acquaintances.'  
  
She only hoped she could hide her flaws well enough.  
  
Hermione was quite happy to spend more time with her, both in and out of classes, and the boys were obviously gleeful they had someone who would readily help them in homework -without the usual "you'll never learn if you copy me" from Hermione (although now it was "you'll never learn if you copy her").  
  
Before the next Potions class there was another discussion as to who would pair up with whom, only at a less significant magnitude. Ron was insisting that he needed Hermione's help more than Harry did, even though he got better grades (which was just plain silly, in Cathy's opinion).  
  
"Ron, you don't have a Professor who lowers your grade just because of your father," said Harry rather irritated. "I mean, the reason you got a bad grade was because you screwed up, not because of some permanent grudge against you." He paused, thinking. "If I didn't know any better," said Harry with a grin, " I'd say you want Hermione as a partner because of the pleasure of her company, if you know what I mean."  
  
Ron turned a little pink, and Hermione looked just a teensy bit bothered.  
  
"Which is why you two should want to pair up with me in the first place," she said drawing herself up taller and glaring slightly.  
  
Both boys hurriedly assured her that was why they wanted to pair up with her in the first place.  
  
So Harry, outsmarted by Hermione and not wanting to set her off, ended up losing his argument. Cathy hoped he might ask her to be his partner, but he chose Seamus Finnigan instead, to her disappointment. She sat alone that class, but wasn't bothered by this at all because Harry kept whispering hilarious things behind Snape's back.  
  
"He really ought to wash his hair, you know," he hissed to her wickedly. Cathy grinned over her parchment.  
  
Seeing this, Harry continued. "And Ron n' I've been thinking. doesn't Snape look suspiciously like he has no clothes on, underneath his robes?"  
  
At this, Cathy almost burst out laughing, but stifled it and covered her mouth. Seamus snorted. Harry looked pleased with himself, but only until Snape noticed.  
  
"What's that, Mr. Potter? You have a joke you want to share with the class?"  
  
Harry quickly lost his smile and shook his head solemnly. Draco snickered along with the rest of the Slytherins.  
  
"Well then," said Snape, in his own dangerous way, "I see nothing to laugh about. Ten points off Gryffindor for selfishness. And be grateful it isn't more," he added as usual.  
  
Harry muttered something in French under his breath. Seamus grinned maliciously.  
  
"I thought it was funny," whispered Catherine in his ear. "But hopefully we'll never find out."  
  
And Harry did ask her to partner with him at the end of the class.  
  
***  
  
That evening, at the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement. "After the success of last year's Halloween Ball, we have decided to host it again this year. As usual, all years we be allowed to attend and it will be a masquerade. Further details will be posted on your house message board."  
  
Loud cheering, followed by excited voices filling up the Hall, immediately followed this news.  
  
Ron turned excitedly to Hermione. "Will you go to the Ball with me?"  
  
Hermione turned slightly pink, but accepted his offer with a huge smile on her face. Harry, Neville, Parvati and Cathy were laughing at this.  
  
Then, to Catherine's surprise, Harry turned to her and said something she never expected.  
  
"Will you go with me?" 


End file.
